Release data: Kevin Braheny – The Way Home CD, Hearts of Space Records, 1978/1984 “The Way Home” was one of the first releases on the Hearts of Space records. The first draft of this classic space album (originally called “Perelandra”, as it was named after the C.S. Lewis science fiction novel of the same name) was recorded in early 1978.…
Release data: Mychael Danna – Sirens CD, Hearts of Space Records, 1991 The debut album “Sirens”, initially only released as cassette, offers a 46-minute collection of minimal orchestral/symphonic electronics by Canadian Mychael Danna, who later on established himself as a successful soundtrack composer. It’s also a concept album dealing with the femine psyche, taking the listener into worlds beyond the…
Release data: Neuronium – Chromium Echoes CD, Tuxedo Music/Private release, 1982 For me, “Chromium Echoes” is a classic album of Spanish synthesist Michel Huygen, aka Neuronium, who got some great assistance of Carlos Guirao. The sound of this album is warm and profound analogue. The release offers three moody compositions displaying the beautiful sounds and impact of vintage gear by…
Release data: John Broaddus – Afield DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Parnassusnump Records, 2011 After seven years of silence, US ambient composer John Broaddus brings us “Afield”, which offers an adventurous journey into sound processing within the concept of minimal ambient. The seeds for this recording are found in various field recordings made in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Paris, which Mr Broaddus…
Release data: Szymon Kaliski – For Isolated Recollections CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Hibernate records, 2011 When you talk about less is more in ambient music, it’s worth having a listen to the Ep “For Isolated Recollections” by young composer Szymon Kalisk, who lives in a small town near Poznań, Poland. The four pieces on the 20-minute release are all assembled from simple…
Release data: Steve Roach – Journey of One (The Tribal Ambient Era, Live 1996) CD, Projekt, 2011 As many Steve Roach fans will know, the start of the 1990’s marked an uprise of profound tribal-ambient electronic music, a genre Steve already explored on releases such as “Early man”, “World’s Edge”, “Origins” and the stunning “Dreamtime Return”. It was a period…
Release data: Danna & Clément – The Best of Danna & Clément CD-R, Earthaven/Mirage, 2005 This is a 70-minute compilation album by the Canadian duo Danna & Clément who made several ambient releases together which all have been unavailable for a long time. “The Best of Danna & Clément” is a special edition release including a limited edition full-colour eight-page…
Release data: Tim Story – Beguiled CD, Hearts of Space, 1991 Those who love melancholic instrumental and somewhat eccentric music are at the right spot with the contemporary ambient music of Tim Story. On “Beguiled”, Martha Reikow joins Mr Story on cello, while Tim himself plays synths, sampling instruments, treatments, piano, and e-guitar. Tim about the recording: “Despite its simplicity,…
Release data: The Black Dog – Radio Scarecrow CD, Soma Recordings Limited, 2008 The Black Dog is a techno-ambient project from the UK consisting of Ken Downie and the brothers Martin and Richard Dust. The output of “Radio Scarecrow”, mixed as one continuous sequence, fits nicely in the framework of intelligent, refined and detailed IDM-electronica with subtle elements and twists,…
Release data: Mychael Danna – Skys CD, Hearts of Space, 1992 “Skys” is a concept album by Mychael Danna, inspired by the big cold Canadian skyscapes through the year. The rich electro-acoustic music, by Mr Danna describes as orchestral romantic-minimalism, offers ten cinematic, airy themes encapsulating the grandeur and beauty of these massive skypaintings. These aural imaginations are beautifully rendered…
Release data: Steve Roach – Live at SoundQuest Fest CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Timeroom Editions, 2011 This album documents the first 74 minutes of the concert Steve Roach and friends performed at the first SoundQuest music festival held on October 23, 2010. Album opener is the strong 28-minute “Momentum of Desire”, a pure electronic undertaking with a profound high-tech rim which makes…
Release data: Johannes Schmoelling – The Zoo of Tranquillity CD, Viktoriapark Records, 1988/2010 Until today, I always had quite some trouble enjoying Johannes second album “The Zoom of Tranquility”. The version reviewed here is the original 1988-tapes remastered of the original 2-track tapes which appeared on lp in 1988. This cd doesn’t contain the two bonus tracks of the 1998…
Release data: Przemysław Rudź – Cerulean Legacy CD, Generator.pl, 2011 After finishing his previous trilogy, Polish synthesist Przemysław Rudź brings us a new concept album of progressive electronics, in which the technology theme remains a core element. At first the music didn’t really touch me nor seemed it that cohesive, but this changed after I had several closer listens to…
Release data: Rasalhague – Rage inside the Window CD, Malignant Records, 2011 The musician behind the dark/experimental ambient project Rasalhague is one Kerry Braud, hailing from Indiana. The concept album “Rage inside the Window” (inspired by a true criminal event of a young child neglected by her own mother, being imprisoned in filth and squalor) offers terrifying, industrial and harsh…
Release data: Somnarium – Frost DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 With the album “Frost”, composer Michael Meara brings us another fine release of smooth ambient sonics, this time inspired by profound cold weather conditions. The five expansive vistas offer subtle, gentle, orchestral and symphonic renditions with some piano, overall breathing the fresh atmospherics and the remoteness of cold plains and…
Release data: Barbelo & Jorge Reyes – Ethnoaural CD, Barbelo Music, 2008 Barbelo is the Mexican, Monterrrey-based duo Rodolfo Garza (aka Arkha Nous) and Daniel Trevino (aka Xak) who have joined forces with Jorge Reyes (who sadly passed away in February 2009) for this album. “Ethnoaural” features 44 minutes of ethnic flavoured electro-acoustic ambient compositions in which Reyes distinct fingerprints…
Release data: Marsen Jules – Nostalgia CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Oktaf, 2011 Marsen Jules is a project by the German musician Martin Juhls, who is composing music since 2005. Presented as the “long awaited continuation of his classic “Herbstlaub”, the overall flavour of “Nostalgia” made me think of the releases on the Palace of Light label: although musically different, it evokes a…
Release data: Ishq – Skyspaces CD, Virtual Light, 2011 “Skyspaces” is the first album on Virtual Light, a new series adapted by Ishq (aka Matt Hillier), of which all releases will have an emphasis on space, light and minimalism rather than the more complex and detailed soundscape style feautured on the Virtual World series. As Matt further explains, the ambient…
Release data: Ian Boddy & Parallel Worlds – Exit Strategy CD, DiN, 2011 The Ian Boddy and Bakis Sirros album “Exit Strategy” (the 37th physical DiN-release, limited to 600 copies) is a profound energetic and analogue affair with a strong organic edge. From the press release I learned Mr Sirror planted the seed for the project by delivering a series…
Release data: Steve Roach & Erik Wøllo – The Road Eternal CD, Projekt, 2011 “The Road Eternal” is the second collaborative album by Steve Roach and Erik Wøllo, following up their 2009-release “Stream of Thought”. The framework and fundament of the albums music was layed down by the two composers in the days following directly after the Steve’s first SoundQuest…
Release data: Noryani – Northeast 117 CD, Generator.pl, 2011 (Adrian) Noryani is a new name introduced by the Polish Generator-label that again proves to have a good eye for fine, and above all fresh sounding contemporary electronic music. Noryani’s debut release “Northeast 117” is a tasty and attractive one, displaying a fine assortment of lush, spatial sequences, versatile percussion, powerful…
Release data: Robert Beau Michaels – Radio Cosmos – Music From Out of This World DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 Prague-based musician Robert Beau Michaels has always been fascinated by the mystery and beauty of the universe, and especially by stunning Hubble telescope images. For long, these kinds of images have fed his creative imagination, while evoking a tremendous feeling…
Release data: Kubusschnitt – Entropy’s Evolution CD, Private Release, 2010 After a long hiatus of about eight years or so, Ruud Heij and Tom Coppens have decided to revive the Kubusschnitt-project oncemore. For “Entropy’s Evolution” they invited synthesist Gert Emmens and guitarist Jan Dieterich to join them on the fourth musical journey. There always has been an inventive, progressive and…
Release data: The Black Dog – Music for Real Airports CD, Soma Recordings Limited, 2010 The title of this release immediately makes you think of the fine “Ambient #1” album Brian Eno once made. This is something really different though, as the band described the album “a contemporary reply to Brian Eno’s work from the 70s”. The UK trio Ken…
Release data: Kerry Leimer – Degraded Certainties CD, Palace of Lights, 2010 “Degraded Certainties”, Kerry Leimer’s ninth album, uses reprocessing as the core technique in determining the music’s timbre and form. Mr Leimer continues his ongoing efforts to experiment in generating variety from a limited set of sonic elements, a complex proces in which he extensively manipulated, twisted, edited and…
Release data: Gert Emmens – Metamorphosis CD, Groove Unlimited, 2010 Marking his tenth release on the established Dutch Groove Unlimited label, Gert Emmens decided to stick to the use of old vintage gear without MIDI for the 73-minute “Metamorphosis”. For those interested, Gert included a complete list of gear used on each of the six tasty tracks. As usual the…
Release data: Remy – I-dentity CD, Deserted Island Music, 2011 I personally find it interesting Remy Stroomer has chosen the titel “I-dentity” for his latest release, as I always found that this musician created his own realm of identity and originality over the years on his recordings. Tracks 1-3 of “I-dentity” have been recorded at Remy Stroomer’s concert at the…
Release data: Eric G – Conclusion CD, Elmuced Records, 2001 Many musicians have been influenced by the classic electronic music of the Berlin school. The music contained on Eric G’s “Conclusion” features compositions made between 1978 and 1999, and shows its own reflection and inspiration derived from the mid-’70’s output by the likes such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze next…
Release data: Jeffrey Koepper – Arctisonia CD, Air Space Records, 2011 Mr Koepper describes the outcome of his sixth privately released album “Arctisonia” as “loaded with analog synthesizer music- textural-sequencer driven-atmospheric”, which according to the album sleeve is inspired by The Arctic. The sounds on the album are diverse, warm and very rich, and the seven lengthy tracks are cinematic…
Release data: Free System Projekt & Gert Emmens – Legacy CD, Private Release, 2011 The factory-pressed cd “Legacy” comprises three concert recordings made at two different locations. The almost 50-minute “Heritage”, recorded at The Ricochet Gathering in October 2010, kicks things off in the engaging and full retro-mode as we know so well from Free System Project. The music is…
Release data: Altus – Sleep Theory Volume 1 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 With “Sleep Theory Volume One”, Mike Carrs adds another fine chapter to his already extensive catalogue of soothing and highly textural ambient music. Quite similar to the overall relaxed outcome of “Coma Cluster”, this lush and atmospheric music in three phases feels like a comfortable blanket of…
Release data: Chuck Van Zyl – MemorySpace CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Synkronos Music, 2010 With “MemorySpace”, American musician and radio host Chuck van Zyl delivers an intimate and reflective work of electronic ambient music, firmly rooted in the analogue domain. Not only does the album’s music sound like a strong tribute and dedication to the vintage analogue output created in the 70’s…
Release data: Elektronische Maschine – Kampf CD, IntraPop, 2010 After seven years of work, the Dutch band Elektronische Maschine (by many associated with Kraftwerk) managed to put out their fifth album “Kampf “ (mastered by Eroc) at the end of 2010. The album’s concept deals with the permanent struggle against mediocrity, which in all its aspects can be observed effortless…
Release data: Various Artists – Dutch Masters CD, Groove Unlimited, 2011 Now here’s a very nice art concept album initiated by Synth.nl (aka Michel van Osenbruggen), aptly called “Dutch Masters”, meant to further promote the Dutch synthesizer music scene. Ten talented Dutch synthesists were offered to collaborate on this project, for which they all derived core inspiration from a painting…
Release data: Robert Carty – Paradise Earth CD-R, Deep Sky Music, 2011 On lots of his previous releases, musician Robert Carty took his listeners into expansive cosmic spaces, most recently with his “Starlight” trilogy. With every new release, Robert has been able further refine and valvenize his highly textural musical excursions. The elevating and emotional outcome on “Paradise Earth” is…
Release data: Anthony Paul Kerby & Tomass Weiss – Distant Shadows CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DataObscura/Construct, 2011 Canadian composer Anthony Paul Kerby (APK) has produces many ambient recordings under the names Lammergeyer, Nunc Stans, and The Circular Ruins. Sonic architect Tomas Weiss on the other hand has recorded under the monikers Nautic Depths and El Hadra, while he’s also known for his…
Release data: Resonant Drift – Passages CD, Flow Space Music, 2011 Bill Olien and Gary Johnson, aka Resonant Drift, nicely follow up to their previous album “The Call”, bringing more inspiring desert soundscape music to us. “Passages” features sophisticated ambient music with occasional tribal rhythms and smooth e-guitar work next to a kind of hidden dynamic undercurrent running through the…
Release data: Time Being – A Dimension Reflected CD, LotusPike, 2011 Ambient composers Jourdan Laik and Philip Wilkerson have joined forces using the musical moniker Time Being. With “A Dimension Reflected” they deliver their first tour-de-force release of ethereal and expansive drift music, an attempt to capture the essence and beauty of the present moment in time. The album is…
Release data: Steve Roach – Immersion Five: Circadian Rhythms CD, Timeroom Editions, 2011 Meant to explore a new direction for the immersion experience, “Immersion Five – Circadian Rhythms” nicely continues the series with two long form tracks of 73 minutes each, intended for infinite playback. The albums subtitle is named after physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly…
Release data: Dan Pound – Medusazoa CD-R, PoundSounds, 2011 With the music of his album “Medusazoa”, on which work was started in July 2010, it seems Mr Pound is trying to come closer to the sound of Steve Roach. The seven tracks feature so-called underwater dream zone music, based and built from analog modular synth drones, patches and effects, made…
Release data: Forrest Fang – Forrest Fang’s Sans Serif: Unbound CD, Projekt, 2011 “Unbound” is the second release of Sans Serif, aka Forrest Fang, of which the ambient music was assembled from an assortment of lost and found microscopic sounds as source material. As Mr Fang further explains The Sans Serif project is his personal tribute to minimalism. For each…
Release data: Peter Davidson – Green Moss Trail CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Otherworld/PeterDavidsonmusic, 2011 Hailing from the Swedish Western coastline, multi-instrumentalist Peter Davidson brings us an instrumental album described by the composer as “an ambient journey down the wormhole”. “Green Moss Trail” is another great example of active and overtly organic ambient music fitting in the tradition of Robert Rich, Steve Roach…
Release data: Galactic Anthems – The Other Side CD-R, Private Release, 2010 With his seventh release “The Other Side”, Glenn Adams (aka Galactic Adams) treats us with a true cosmic album. The nine tracks offer a bright assortment of electronic sounds, ranging from a few dynamic, pulsating, rhythmic-sequencer driven pieces to cinematic spacious sketches making up the biggest part of…
Release data: Brian Vassallo – Memoirs of a Lifetime CD, Private Release, 2010 December 31, 2010 saw the release of “Memoirs of a Lifetime” by Maltese composer, sound designer and producer Brian Vassallo. It offers the listener a sonic companion to make his/her own interpretations of his/her moments in life. Mr Vassallo’s instrumental music, presented in eight uninterrupted parts, is…
Release data: Bruno Sanfilippo – Subliminal Pulse CD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2011 “Sometimes, the poetic language of music reveals what cannot be seen. It shows a reality that has nothing to do with words. With my electronic instruments I take the universe’s “Subliminal Pulse”, and I try to build a bridge between my inner pulse and the pulse of the…
Release data: Ron Berry – Osiris CD, Ron Berry Music, 1985/2002 I’m not familiar with the English musician Ron Berry, one of the many on the Brittish Isles who established their own style and musicianship from the mid ’80’s on. “Osiris”,(inspired by The Egyptian Book Of The Dead) seems to be a classic recording among EM-fans, which was originally release…
Release data: Blutiger Fluss – Rings Of Saturn CD-R, Sleep on the Floor Records, 2011 “Rings of Saturn” is the fourth release by the Des Moines, Iowa-based duo Jeff Hutchison and Jim Duede, and their third concept album surrounding a planet. The music on the four lengthy tracks embarks on an instrumental ambient/space journey in which the cosmic atmosphere remains…
Release data: Meg Bowles – A Quiet Light CD, Kumatone Records, 2011 I had the idea classically-trained female synthesist fell of the radar about a decade or so ago, after she had composed some very nice cosmic albums. So what a nice surprise to hear she re-entered the electronic music scene at the start of 2011, at the same time…
Release data: Futureworld Orchestra – Regenerated CD, Goose Pimples Music, 2009 The duo Robert Pot en Gerto Heupink originally making up Futureworld Orchestra had quite some success in the first half of the ’80’s with their vocal and instrumental pop tunes, of which especially “Desire” and “Roulette” did a good job in the Dutch charts next to “Theme from E.T.”…
Release data: Richard Bone – Sudden Departure CD, Quirkwork Laboratory Discs, 2008 “Sudden Departure”, the 24th release on Richard Bone’s own Quirkworks Laboratories label, is another offering of emotive and calming ambient tracks. In their own way, each track seems an observation of moments in time and space, simply displaying a sense of reflection or mood. As always, there are…
Release data: Biff Johnson – Reading The Bones CD, Broad Vista Music, 1997 A quick look at red rocks on the cover of this cd would make you think this might be another release of vidnaObmana. “Reading the Bones” is actually the debut of American musician Biff Johnson on his own Broad Vista label, who received the kind help from…
Release data: Biff Johnson – Mirage at the Crossroads CD, Broad Vista Music, 1999 On his second album “Mirage at the Crossroads”, Sacramento-based composer Biff Johnson has decided to follow a bit of a new musical direction for his ambient music, as the outcome of debut album “Reading the Bones” almost sounded like a tribute to the desert music of…
Release data: Vir Unis & James Johnson – Perimeter II CD-R, Atmoworks, 2003 Two years after their succesfull double release “Perimeter”, a follow-up to this concept was released as “Perimeter II”. This time it’s a triple cd-r set packed in a dvd-case, of which the music oncemore is an sophisticated mix of fractal groove electronics and atmospherics outings, but overall…
Release data: Vir Unis & James Johnson – Perimeter CD-R, Atmoworks, 2001 “Perimeter” is a double cd-r release which sees fractal-groove king Vir Unis (aka John Strate-Hootman) collaborate with ambient composer James Johnson. The disc of 60 and 70 minutes each feature a blend of high-tech groove and pulse sequencer patterns and rhythms, loops, radiowave mutations and fractalizations to which…
Release data: Vir Unis – Aeonian Glow CD, Greenhouse Music, 2000 “Aeonian Glow” is a second chapter of introspective and inner body music by John Strate-Hootman, aka Vir Unis. The music was created in the seclusion of John’s In the Bubble studio, which at that time existed in the hectic city of New York. As John eluded in an interview,…
Release data: James Johnson – Environment 1: Chinatown – New York CD-R, Atmoworks, 2003 “Environment 1” is the first cd-ep from James Johnson environmental soundscapes series. This 28-minute cd-r carries the subtitle Chinatown – New York, and depicts a rather peaceful soundscape with only a few street sounds here and there. A drifting texture with faint melancholic elements, complemented by…
Release data: James Johnson – Echoes CD-R, Atmoworks, 2003 As Mr Johnson explains in the inlay sheet, “Echoes” is the outcome of an exploration of the process of “designed systems”: self-generated, always changing soundfields, melodies and floating textures, of which traces already could be heard on his former albums “Odyssee” and “The Butterfly Chamber”. Well, the introspective title-track leans towards…
Release data: Hoenig – Göttsching – Early Water CD, Musique Intemporelle/Spalax, 1995 “Early Water” is one of those classic gems in electronic music that found its origin in a jam session that took place in Berlin in the autumn of 1976 between Manuel Göttsching and Michel Hoenig. The “lost” recording remained on the shelf for about 20 years or so,…
Release data: Richard Bone – Beleagured Blossoms CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Quirkwork Laboratory Discs, 2010 “Beleagured Blossoms” contains 11 forgotten artifacts from Mr Bone’s archive. They’ve been composed between 1993-2009, and most of them are soundtracks from various film and video projects. Mr Bone’s versatile compositions walk the edge of combining the abstract with contemporary electronica. His music steps out of the…
Release data: Richard Bone – The Ghosts of Hanton Village CD-R, Quirkwork Laboratory Discs, 2009 “The Ghosts of Hanton Village” marks the 25th release on Mr Bone’s label Quirkwork Laboratory Discs. It contains ten ambient/experimental compositions that have been inspired by the folklore surrounding Hanton Village, a mysterious commune in the northwest hills of Rhode Island, close to Richard’s home.…